How much will my 401(k) be worth?
Enter your age, salary, what you put in, and your employer match. See your 401(k) at retirement and how much came from you, your employer, and growth.
- At retirement you’ll have
- $2,628,812.97
At 7% a year, your 401(k) grows to $2,628,812.97 by age 67, including $148,892.00 from your employer.
- Balance today
- $25,000.00
- Your contributions
- $496,306.67
- Employer contributions
- $148,892.00
- Investment growth
- $1,958,614.30
- In today’s moneyIf prices rise by the inflation rate each year
- $880,607.49
- You put in this year
- $7,500.00
- Your employer adds this year
- $2,250.00
- Your IRS limit this year
- $24,500.00
- Months
- 444
At retirement you’ll have: $2,628,812.97. At 7% a year, your 401(k) grows to $2,628,812.97 by age 67, including $148,892.00 from your employer.
Where does the money come from?
How does your 401(k) grow?
What does each year look like?
The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use
How to calculate
Projects a 401(k) balance at retirement from your salary, your contribution rate, and your employer match, within the IRS contribution limits.
Example with the default inputs (Your age 30, Retirement age 67, 401(k) balance today $25,000.00, Yearly salary $75,000.00, You contribute 10%, Employer match 50%, Match stops at 6%, Expected yearly return 7%, Yearly raise 3%, Prices rise each year by 3%): At 7% a year, your 401(k) grows to $2,628,812.97 by age 67, including $148,892.00 from your employer.
Method: Each year, you put in min(your % × salary, the IRS limit for your age) and the employer adds match % × min(your contribution, match cap % × salary), within the section 415(c) limit; both are spread over 12 months, and the balance grows each month at (1 + R)^(1/12) − 1.
- The IRS limits stay at their 2026 amounts for every future year. The IRS usually raises them with inflation.
- Contributions are spread evenly over the 12 months and added at the end of each month.
- The yearly return stays the same every year. Real returns go up and down, and can be negative.
- Your salary rises by the yearly raise at the start of each new year.
- Fees and taxes are not included. Withdrawals from a traditional 401(k) are taxed as income.
- This is an estimate for planning, not financial advice.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Your age 30, Retirement age 31, 401(k) balance today $0.00, Yearly salary $60,000.00, You contribute 10%, Employer match 50%, Match stops at 6%, Expected yearly return 0% gives At retirement you’ll have $7,800.00, You put in this year $6,000.00, Your employer adds this year $1,800.00.Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: 10% of 60,000; 50% of the first 6% (3,600)
- Your age 55, Retirement age 56, 401(k) balance today $0.00, Yearly salary $300,000.00, You contribute 20%, Employer match 100%, Match stops at 6%, Expected yearly return 0% gives You put in this year $32,500.00, Your employer adds this year $18,000.00, At retirement you’ll have $50,500.00, Your IRS limit this year $32,500.00.Source: IRS IR-2025-111: 2026 deferral limit $24,500 plus $8,000 catch-up at 50 or older; hand calculation
- Your age 61, Retirement age 62, 401(k) balance today $0.00, Yearly salary $300,000.00, You contribute 20%, Employer match 100%, Match stops at 6%, Expected yearly return 0% gives You put in this year $35,750.00, Your IRS limit this year $35,750.00.Source: IRS IR-2025-111: $24,500 plus the $11,250 catch-up for ages 60 to 63 in 2026
- Your age 40, Retirement age 41, 401(k) balance today $0.00, Yearly salary $350,000.00, You contribute 10%, Employer match 200%, Match stops at 25%, Expected yearly return 0% gives You put in this year $24,500.00, Your employer adds this year $47,500.00, At retirement you’ll have $72,000.00.Source: IRS 401(k) contribution limits page: 2026 annual additions limit $72,000, catch-ups excluded; hand calculation
- Your age 30, Retirement age 40, 401(k) balance today $10,000.00, Yearly salary $50,000.00, Yearly raise 0%, You contribute 6%, Employer match 100%, Match stops at 6%, Expected yearly return 7% gives At retirement you’ll have $105,197.38, Your contributions $30,000.00, Employer contributions $30,000.00.Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: 10,000 × 1.07^10 plus 500 a month for 120 months
How the contributions are worked out
Year k is this year (k = 0), next year (k = 1), and so on, until the year before your retirement age. Your age in year k is your age + k, and your salary is salary × (1 + raise)^k. An empty raise counts as 0%.
The IRS limits are the 2026 amounts, used for every year:
| Limit | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Your contributions (elective deferrals) | $24,500 |
| Catch-up, age 50 or older | $8,000 |
| Catch-up, ages 60 to 63 (instead of $8,000) | $11,250 |
| Your contributions plus your employer’s, without catch-ups | $72,000 |
| Salary the plan counts | $360,000 |
Each year:
- Pay counted = the lesser of your salary and $360,000.
- Your limit = $24,500, plus $11,250 if your age that year is 60 to 63, or plus $8,000 if it is 50 or more (and not 60 to 63).
- You put in = the lesser of (your % × pay counted) and your limit.
- Matched = match % × the lesser of (what you put in) and (match cap % × pay counted).
- Your employer adds = the lesser of matched and the room left: the lesser of $72,000 and your salary, minus the lesser of what you put in and $24,500.
Both amounts are split into 12 equal monthly amounts.
How the balance grows
The yearly return R becomes a monthly rate g = (1 + R)^(1/12) − 1. Each month, growth = balance × g is added, then your and your employer’s monthly amounts are added. This runs for 12 × (retirement age − your age) months.
The results:
- At retirement you’ll have is the balance after the last month.
- Your contributions and employer contributions add up every monthly amount. Investment growth is the final balance minus today’s balance and both totals.
- In today’s money is the final balance ÷ (1 + inflation)^(retirement age − your age). It is left out when the inflation rate is empty.
- You put in this year, your employer adds this year, and your IRS limit this year are the year k = 0 amounts.
If the retirement age is not more than your age, there is no answer.
Assumptions
- The 2026 IRS limits stay the same in later years.
- The return is the same every year. Fees and taxes are not included.
- This is an estimate for planning, not financial advice.
Worked examples by hand
$60,000 salary, 10% in, 50% match up to 6%, one year at 0%. You put in 10% × 60,000 = $6,000 (under $24,500). The match counts the lesser of $6,000 and 6% × 60,000 = $3,600, so the employer adds 50% × 3,600 = $1,800. The balance after the year is $7,800.
Age 55, $300,000 salary, 20% in, 100% match up to 6%. 20% is $60,000, but your limit is 24,500 + 8,000 = $32,500. The match is 100% of the lesser of $32,500 and $18,000: $18,000. The room under $72,000 is 72,000 − 24,500 = $47,500, so all of it counts: $50,500 in the year.
Age 61, same pay. Your limit is 24,500 + 11,250 = $35,750.
Age 40, $350,000 salary, 10% in, 200% match up to 25%. You put in the lesser of $35,000 and $24,500: $24,500. The match would be 200% × 24,500 = $49,000, but the room is 72,000 − 24,500 = $47,500, so the employer adds $47,500. Together: $72,000.
Age 30 to 40, $10,000 today, $50,000 salary, 6% in, 100% match up to 6%, 7% a year. Each year you put in $3,000 and your employer $3,000: $500 a month. g = 1.07^(1/12) − 1 = 0.0056541, and (1 + g)^120 = 1.07^10 = 1.967151. Today’s balance grows to 10,000 × 1.967151 = $19,671.51. The monthly amounts grow to 500 × 0.967151 ÷ 0.0056541 = 500 × 171.0517 = $85,525.87. Total: $105,197.38, of which you and your employer each put in $30,000.
Other questions people ask
How much can I put in a 401(k) in 2026?
For 2026 the IRS limit on your own (elective) contributions is $24,500. If you are 50 or older by the end of the year, you can add a catch-up of $8,000, so $32,500. If you turn 60, 61, 62, or 63 in 2026, the catch-up is $11,250 instead, so $35,750. The calculator applies the limit for your age each year.
How does an employer match work?
A common match is 50% of what you put in, up to 6% of your salary. On a $60,000 salary, if you put in 10% ($6,000), the employer matches half of the first 6% ($3,600), which is $1,800. If you put in less than the match cap, you get less of the match.
Is there a limit on employer contributions too?
Yes. Your contributions (not counting catch-ups) plus your employer’s cannot be more than $72,000 in 2026, or 100% of your pay if that is less. The calculator lowers the employer amount if it would go over.
Do the limits change every year?
Usually. The IRS adjusts them for inflation each November for the next year. The calculator keeps the 2026 limits for every future year, so for a long career it may cap your contributions a little too low.
What is the difference between a traditional and a Roth 401(k)?
Traditional 401(k) contributions come out of your pay before income tax, and withdrawals in retirement are taxed. Roth 401(k) contributions are taxed now, and qualified withdrawals are tax-free. Both share the same yearly limit. The balance this calculator shows is before any tax on withdrawals.
When can I take money out?
Withdrawals before age 59½ usually carry a 10% additional tax on top of income tax, with some exceptions. From age 73 you generally must take required minimum distributions from a traditional 401(k).
Does this include Social Security?
No. It shows only your 401(k). Social Security is separate: if you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67, and claiming at 62 cuts your monthly benefit by 30%.